This is it guys.

Tomorrow, I will officially be a professionally published author! My short story “Leaving Lake June” will appear in the Fantastical Summer anthology, which releases tomorrow!

How crazy is that?!

Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered a copy! I can’t wait for you to read it. Don’t forget to leave an honest Amazon review on June 19th! You don’t have to read all the stories–just enough to leave an honest review.

For those looking to review (or looking to order!) here’s the link to the Amazon listing: https://amzn.to/43g5Kvk.

Now, I’ve already talked a bit about what inspired my story, so let’s pry up the conversational rock and look at the bugs hiding under it.

“So that’s cool I guess…”

I don’t know about you, but I hate talking about my own projects and accomplishments. It always feels so awkward. I’m so worried about sounding pretentious that I water down everything I do.

Example A (based on true events):

Friend: “So what are you working on?”

Me: “Oh well I’m getting published tomorrow, so that’s cool I guess.”

…

*sigh*

I wanted to say: “I’m getting published tomorrow! AHH! I’m really excited and I can’t believe that I get to be a part of a project with so many talented people! It feels completely unreal. Marketing scares me but I think I’ll be alright–the project manager is awesome.”

But I was too scared of sounding like I had a head like an Airhead commercial.

Truly there has to be some sort of room between a big-head and a understatement, right?

I know that for me personally, talking about myself feels like a narrow ledge with treachery on both sides–like in Lord of the Rings when they take the mountain path before deciding to go through Moria.

13-year-old me.

Then, randomly, my Godmother sent me that photo of me–the one in the thumbnail (on the left).

I’m probably about thirteen in that photo, which is the age of mine that inspired the main character of my Fantastical Summer story.

That Lucy is so little. She’s got braces. She writes angsty fantasy short stories in her free time; starts writing novels but never finishes them. She draws characters for stories that don’t exist. She sings show-tunes in the shower and wears as much nerd-merch as she can all at once. She barely needs her glasses and thinks that hairstyle is cool.

And I thought to myself “isn’t she allowed to be excited about this?”

Every time I pretend that my accomplishments are “whatever,” aren’t I just telling her not to try?

My mentor told me once that when someone compliments your work, it’s easy–just say thank you.

I know, I know, it sounds obvious, but clearly I have issues with this whole area.

So the same thing should apply to the cool stuff you do, right? If someone asks what you’re up to, just answer them.

Being excited isn’t bragging. It’s not about proving how cool you are, or making someone else feel small and useless, or making yourself out to be some sort of celebrity or something.

In this case, it’s literally about answering a question. I mean, they literally asked.

So don’t overthink it. You can be humbly excited.

Let the 13-year-old you do a little happy dance!

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Hook your own copy!

If you haven’t already, go pre-order a copy of Fantastical Summer! There are 15, summery stories in there for you to soak up.

Shout out to all other authors in the anthology–you guys are amazing!

And a super-mega shoutout to the spectacular Vella Karman, who put this whole thing together and gave so much of her time, passion, and energy into this project. You rock, and I love you like crazy <3